Chusetts



.R. J. THURSTON.

JAR LIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1918.

1,304,717. Patented May 27, 1919.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J. THORSTON, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WIRE GOODS COMPANY, OF WORCESTER,.MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

JAR-LIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented "May 2'7, 1919.

Application filed May 4, 1918. Serial No. 232,493.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT J. THURSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVorcester, in the county of Worcester and State of lVhesachusett-s, have invented a new and useful J ar-Lifter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a hand manipulated implement for lifting jars and other similar articles.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a construction by which the operator can reach down into a body of hot water in which a jar is standing and, without danger of injuring the jar or causing it to slip or tip over, to support it underneath in such a way that it can be lifted out readily; and to provide an article for this purpose which will be safe, simple, inexpensive and practical.

The invention also involves a construction consisting of two pivotally connected frames having handle portions at one end and jaws at the other end, the jaws being adapted to engage under the jar in such a way that the tighter the grip of the operator at the top, the tighter Will be the grip of the implement at the bottom of the jar. The implement is so constructed that it can be disengaged readily by the hand to spread the bot- .tom portion and release the jar. An important feature consists in the fact that the entire operation of engaging the jar, lifting it out, and releasing it is performed with one hand only so that the operator can steady the receptacle in which the jar is located with the other hand if necessary.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a jar lifter constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge view;

Fig. 3 is a plan, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan on the line 44 of Fig. 1 showing the jar supporting jaws.

For the purpose of securing the above mentioned results the jar lifter in its preferred form is constructed so as to consist of two frames, each of a single endless piece of wire, although it can be constructed of other materials without departing from the rinciples hereof. The two frames are esignated. A and B. Each one in general is of a substantially rectangular form, shown in this instance as square at the top and brought inwardly a little at the bottom, and provided with an offset portion C at the bottom which is flattened at its end to form a flattened jaw (Z constituting the extreme lower end of the frame.

Each frame at the top is provided with a loop designated respectively a and 6. These loops are formed simply of the wire, one of them being round to receive the thumb and the other elongated to receive the four fingers of the same hand. of the operator. These two loops are located substantially in the same plane so as to be easily manipulated by one hand.

One of the frames, as for example B, is provided with two eyes 6 which constitute pivot sockets. They are located in alinement with each other, that is at equal distances from the top of the frame. The other frame isprovided with two arms a which, although on account of the wire construction they can be made t an angle to the will be seen that the jaws are substantially at right angles to the planes of their respective frames and tangent to the arcs which their ends describe in swinging about their pivots.

The two frames are arranged with their wires wide apart below the pivots all the way down to a point near the bottom so as to assist in engaging and steadying a jar supported by the device, but its principal support comes from the forcing of the two flat jaws d inwardly toward each other under the edges of the bottom thereof.

In the operation of the device the opera- V tor takes the implement in the hand, putting the thumb through the loop 6 and the four fingers through the loop a. The implement is thenreadily carried about and manipu-. lated by one hand without any assistance from the other. Furthermore by putting all four fingers through the loop a there will be no danger of pinching any of the fingers in the device.

In order to lift a can or jar out of a body of hot water for example, the two handle portions a and b are forced apart, thus forcing the supporting jaws (Z away from each other. It is inserted into the water down over the jar to be lifted until the two jaws cl rest on the bottom of the receptacle in which the jar is located and on opposite sides of the jar. The handle portions are then forced together which draws the flattened jaws d toward. each other under the opposite edges of the jar and the jar can be grasped in that way with any desired degree of force. On account of the yielding nature of the wire and the distance'of the jaws from the pivots there will be no danger of breaking the jar in this manner and yet it can be securely grasped. The straight sides of the frames also are adapted to engage the jar and keep it from swaying back and forth on the flat jaws which support it at the bottom. Any motion imparted to the jaw of one frame will act directly or through the jaw of the other frame so as to insure engagement of both with the jar. The jar is then lifted out and set down on another surface and is released by opening the jaws in an obvious manner.

It will be seen that all the above indicated advantages are secured and a very handy and inexpensive kitchen utensil is provided, greatly facilitating the manipulation of jars in the ordinary processes of canning. It can of course be used for lifting other articles of similar shape in other circumstances as for example to take articles off a hot stove.

Although I have illustrated and described only a single embodiment of the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departingfrom the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited in these respects, but what I do claim is 1. As an article of manufacture, a jar lifter comprising two wire frames, the main body of each being substantially in a plane, said frames having integral means for pivoting them together on a transverse axis in their planes, each having a loop at one end constituting a handle in a plane at right angles to the plane of the body of the frame so that when closed or nearly so the handles will be in substantially the same plane, and a jaw at the other end ofiset inwardly, one of said loops extending all the way across its frame to receive several fingers and the other being located to receive the thumb of the same hand.

2. As an article of manufacture, a jar lifter comprising two frames, each consisting of a single endless piece of wire having a loop at one end constituting a handle and an offset jaw at the other end at right an gles to the plane of the body of the frame,

ROBERT J. THURSTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

